


W.I.N.G.S.

by Jacque_le_Prince



Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Biracial Character, Bisexual Male Character, Black Character(s), Black Male Character, Demisexuality, Dragons, Fae & Fairies, Fantastic Racism, Gay Male Character, LGBTQ Character of Color, Latino Character, M/M, Magical Boys, Maori, Polyamorous Character, Secret Organizations, Trans Male Character, Urban Fantasy, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2018-11-14 09:26:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11205132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacque_le_Prince/pseuds/Jacque_le_Prince
Summary: Humans and mythical creatures are currently at odd ends with one another. Years of discrimination and hate crimes divide them. It is up to a secret organization of humans and mythical creatures alike to bring harmony back to the world.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Looks like I'm back at it again with the whole making-a-new-story-despite-still-being-in-the-process-of-writing-four-others habit. Only this time, it's not a brand new story. Some of you may remember this as an old story pitch I had last year called Lucent Service, which was a semi Winx Club/W.I.T.C.H. spinoff. And as some of you may already know, too, I'm already writing two magical girl stories and I'm up to my ears in female characters. So adding yet another magical girl story at this point would be pretty much self-sabotage. My solution? Make this a magical boy story.

**Fae:**

A magical female possessing great power over an appropriate element. They are easily identified by their wings and beautiful appearance.

(synonyms: _pixie, fairy, brownie, sprite_ )

His lips curled in a sarcastic snicker, “ _Dang, how old is this book_?” he thought.

The idle ticking of the clock and the humming of the people lulled him into a daydreaming state, his stream of conscious now completely free to flow “ _I don’t know much about faes,_ ” he thought “ _But even I know they’re not all female_.”

Wesley sighed through his nose, aware of the cashier’s piercing stare behind him. She was always wary of the man’s presence. He always went in and read the books, but never bought any of them. To make matters more suspicious, he would stay for hours, simply plucking a book from the shelf and reading it from start to finish, then moving on to the next book that caught his eye. Wesley knew that she wanted to shoo him out of the store, but the most that she could do was ask if he needed any help, which he never did.

“ _Trust me_ ,” he wanted to tell her “ _I would buy them all out and stay outta your hair if I could_.”

Wesley was aware of his appearance. He had skin as dark as walnut wood, and lips thicker than the average male. His nose was round yet perky, and his eyes held youth and energy. His figure and height were nothing to gawk at, but his white jersey showed off the modest muscles of his arms. Mirroring the light blue forty-two on his jersey was a pair of faded blue jeans torn from age and harsh cycles in a cheap washing machine.

A hand fell on Wesley’s shoulder, causing the young man to choke on a gasp and the hand to flinch away.

“How long were you planning on staying here, boy?” the owner of the hand asked with as much surprise as her whisper would allow.

Wesley turned around, knowing exactly who the woman was, “Dang Felicia, you scared me.”

Felicia held similar features to Wesley. Her thick amber hair plumed around one side of her face while the other side was woven into straight cornrow braids. High-waisted jeans and a peach-colored sweater donned her figure, and a pair of round-lensed glasses rested on her nose.

“It’s a quarter to nine,” the woman said with a perk of her brows, “Almost closing time.”

Wesley closed the book in his hands, his eyes lingering on the page, “I just started the next chapter, though…” he murmured.

“You know you can come back tomorrow,” said Felicia with a wave of her hand.

Reluctantly, Wesley put the book away and followed the woman out of the store. He could feel the cashier's eyes briefly follow them. The only thing that usually reminded Wesley not to overstay his welcome was his sister's visit. In a way, it was easy to see that the cashier was mildly grateful whenever that happened.

“I don’t like walking around at night,” said Felicia as they entered the warm streets of New York City, “Have you heard about the recent lycan attacks?”

“Huh? No,” Wesley's eyes squinted in curiosity as he watched the cars zoom by, “What, are lycans just attacking people like dogs?”

“Yeah, and it happens out of nowhere,” explained the elder sibling, “They said one minute, a guy will just be walking down the street, then the next, he gets down on all fours and turns into a wolf. It’s happened three times so far.”

* * *

“ _We, as human beings, have a history of being unable to accept our differences. Race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, language, we have taken these characteristics and more and used them as barriers to divide one another. That’s why mythical creatures and humans have never truly been able to get along. How can such a diverse group live alongside a group that’s constantly searching for differences to fear and antagonize?_ ”

* * *

The man’s crow wings carried him up the staircase. His figure was only visible in the small beams of light that pooled in through the holes in the roof. In the hallway, he had reached a corner.

“He went upstairs!”

Heavy footsteps pounded upwards. The winged man grunted as he struggled to push his arms up. The wooden floorboards beneath him began to move upwards with his arms, but there was no time.

A ray of yellow electricity shot up towards the man.

* * *

Wesley awoke with a start, his nerves frayed and his eyes blown wide. His gasp was loud enough to be heard by his sister as she passed by the doorway in her hurry to get dressed.

“You okay?” Felicia asked, tugging her uniform jacket on.

“Yeah, yeah, just…” Wesley rubbed his eye, “Just had a wild dream.”

“Tell me about it when I get home,” Felicia gave a wave of farewell as she continued towards the door, “Or I’ll call you during my lunch break. Bye!”

When the door shut, the silence filling the apartment fully settled in. The only sounds that could be heard were the traffic outside and the kids playing basketball in the nearby park.

It was another ordinary morning for Wesley. Like every other day since graduation, he had intended to get himself dressed and proceed with his job-hunting process.

When he looked at the graduation cap that hung from his bedpost, he was reminded of how he almost didn’t make it, of how low income and ridiculous funds almost shattered his chances of a future. He was also reminded of all those endless nights of grinding and pressing for scholarships. Now his journey was over, and he could finally start paying back for all of those lost dollars.

* * *

Wesley burned hours conversing various topics and putting intrigued smiles on people’s faces as he visited shops and businesses. A simple inquiry about the business would branch into an extensive conversation about family and life goals. Wesley's fun ended when he realized that the afternoon was already hitting and he still hadn’t found a job opening.

“Dang,” he muttered, taking a rest on a park bench, “Whatever job I find is gonna have to be out of town.”

After a brief moment of watching the young adolescents play around, Wesley’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He reached in and pulled it out, immediately knowing who it was without having to check the screen.

“Hello,” he answered.

“ _Hey Wesley!_ ” replied Felicia’s voice “ _How are you?_ ”

“I’m good. Still unemployed, but good all around,” he said, his eyes still lazily following the people at the park, “I couldn’t find anyone hiring nearby, so I think I’ll have to go online and find something.”

“ _So you’re going to the bookstore to use their internet then?_ ”

“In a minute, yeah.”

“ _Okay, don’t stay too late_ ,” warned the sister, “ _I’m stopping off at Jaeylin’s house, so go home early._ ”

“Okay, I…” Wesley stopped, because in that moment, his eyes landed on a familiar figure.

Walking on the adjacent street was the man in his dream. Although he didn’t have the crow wings Wesley recalled, everything else was the same: nearly ink-black skin, micro dreads pulled into a ponytail with red tips, dark red and green clothes.

On the other line, Felicia continued to speak “… _I’ll bring home something to eat cuz you know she’s always cooking and—oh yeah, tell me about that dream you had!_ ”

The man absent-mindedly pocketed the phone with a whispered, “I gotta go…” as he moved to follow the man.

“’scuse me, sir, sir!” Wesley called out. He wasn’t sure how this man would react to being stopped by a random stranger. In the city of New York, all sorts of confrontations could happen. Wesley didn’t want to make the guy think he made to prepare himself for a fight.

However, the man turned around casually and looked to Wesley, “Me?” he questioned.

A part of Wesley shrank down. The man’s voice carried a faint English accent, and his eyes were level with Wesley’s. His clothes were tidy and cologne wafted from his figure. Suddenly Wesley felt like a dirty street rat in comparison.

“Uh, well, it’s like…” Wesley cleared his throat, “You’re probably not gonna believe me, but I think...some guys are after you.”

The other man’s friendly expression turned concerned, “Seriously? What makes you say that?”

Wesley nervously chuckled, realizing the explanation that he was forced to give, “And here I thought _that_ was the craziest part, but this next part…” he shook his head, trying to mask his unease, “I hardly believe it, myself.”

The other man’s interest seemed piqued. For that, Wesley wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or regretful.

“Now, I don’t really believe in things like psychics or clairvoyance, but last night I had this dream,” Wesley tried to make his tone sound casual in order to sell his fantastical claim, “We were in this old abandoned house and, like, some guys were chasing you upstairs. I didn’t get a good look at their faces, but they didn’t look like any typical thugs or anything.”

Much to Wesley’s surprise, the man actually seemed to take him seriously. He wasn’t nodding condescendingly like a parent listening to a child’s babbling, but he also wasn’t frowning like a bystander listening to a ranting conspiracy theorist.

“How many would you say there were?” questioned the man.

Wesley tapped his chin in thought “Uhm…four, maybe five?”

The man nodded once, his expression serious as he looked around, “Damn…” he muttered.

Wesley looked around, as well, suddenly paranoid.

The man gripped Wesley’s shoulder, “We need to get indoors.”

Before Wesley could even get out the word “What?”, he was being ushered inside of a nearby restaurant. In spite of himself, Wesley found his mouth watering at the smell of fresh french fries and burgers wafting around the air.

Immediately, the cashier lifted her head towards the two males in a welcoming motion. Unfortunately, they weren’t there as customers.

“Are those guys out there?” Wesley asked.

The man looked out of the window beside him, “I'm not sure, but I didn’t wanna take any chances,” he returned his gaze to the interior of the restaurant, noticing the odd look he was getting from the cashier.

“We can’t stay here all day,” he said, “My car is just down the street. I can drop you off at home.”

“What’ll you do after that?” asked Wesley.

Much to Wesley’s dismay, the male looked lost.

“I’ll be fine,” he reassured, “I don’t want to drag a stranger into this.”

“Hey, I’m not letting you go after what I saw,” asserted Wesley, “Those guys looked dangerous. If they end up killing you, I just can’t live with that.”

“And what if they end up killing you in the process?” questioned the other man.

Wesley shrugged, “Then at least I didn’t die over something pointless.”

The man stared at Wesley in disbelief for a moment, then sighed in resignation.

“I can’t say no to an answer like that.”

* * *

For the first time ever, Wesley experienced a lack of conversation.

Silence filled the space between himself and the man as they drove through the city. During that time, Wesley took note of the transformation the scenery went under as they drove by. The grass was cut more evenly and the sidewalks were cleaner. The cars and homes were fancier, and Wesley saw businesses he had only read about in magazines.

“I never did tell you my name, did I?”

The man’s question was so sudden, Wesley almost missed it, “Huh? Your name?”

The man nodded “It’s Logan,” he said, “What’s yours?”

“Wesley,” said the other, “Guess we forgot to introduce ourselves, huh?”

Logan laughed, “Well, it’s not like we met over a cup of coffee.”

“True…” Wesley said, “So who’s after you? And what do they want?”

Logan gave an uncomfortable sigh, gripping the steering wheel a bit tighter, “I guess I’d have to tell you eventually…” he muttered, “I’m a witch. This group of witch hunters has been tracking me down for over a week.”

Wesley jerked his head in the man’s direction, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, you’re serious? You’re a witch?” he gasped, “You don’t look like one.”

Logan snorted, “Were you expecting some hunch-backed old lady like the ones in those outdated books?”

Despite the joking smirk on his face, Wesley felt he had insulted the man, “Ah, sorry. Those books in the store were all written by humans, as far as I know,” he said, “Then again, it wouldn’t be the first time I read a book that made ridiculous assumptions about an entire race of people.”

Logan glanced at Wesley with a sympathetic look.

The ease between the two came to an abrupt halt when the car began to sputter. Logan was able to pull over onto the curb just before the vehicle died altogether. The man inspected all of the lights on his dashboard to locate the issue.

“Did we run out of gas?” Wesley asked.

“I don’t know,” Logan reached for a button below the radio and the hood of the car popped open.

Wesley watched as the man stepped outside of the car and lifted the hood for further inspection. He gave a quiet sigh. He really wanted to believe that the sudden stop was only due to a common occurrence. Now was not the time for a major malfunction. At least, that's how it felt.

Wesley let his eyes wander listlessly, and caught sight of something odd in the peripheral mirror.

A cluster of shapes moved down the street in a single, gyrating unit. Wesley squinted into the mirror to get a clearer image. Once he finally saw what it was, he bolted out of the car.

“Yo, we gotta leave,” he warned through clenched teeth as he walked around the lifted car hood.

Unable to see what Wesley had seen, Logan furrowed his brow “Why?” he asked.

Just as that word escaped his lips, a yellow jolt of electricity knocked down the hood of the car, exposing the two males.

Five men strode down the street. They were all dressed in black, leather clothes. Their hats and boots’ tears mirrored the hints of age in their faces, which showed experience and knowledge. The man responsible for the electricity concealed a weapon in his jacket. Unlike the more open neighborhood Wesley had lived in, no one was outside to witness this event.

“Shit!” Wesley reacted first, taking hold of Logan’s arm and sprinting in the other direction.

At first, he had a hard time dragging the man along, but within a few seconds, he felt the weight gradually lighten up.

Wesley gasped as Logan’s arms reached under his armpits and pulled him up from the street. The ground grew farther and farther away from Wesley, who clutched desperately at Logan’s hands.

“Ow, ow! Be careful with your nails!” griped the man above him.

However, Wesley could hardly hear him past his own panic.

He was _flying_ above the city. The only thing keeping him from falling was this man’s grip. Wesley shut his eyes, unable to take in his situation.

He had to admit the the experience was akin to being on a swing or a bicycle. The cool air brushing past his ears at a decent speed calmed his nerves slightly. However, the constant tug of gravity beckoning him downward against Logan’s best efforts to hold him tight made him feel sick.

“I think we lost them,” huffed Logan, his voice full of exhaustion.

Wesley dared himself to open his eyes again. He was immediately met with the sight of the afternoon sky. The softness of the underbelly of the clouds pulled him into a brief moment of enchantment. He sees clouds every single day, but something within him stirred upon seeing them this time.

That sight slowly disappeared as he felt Logan dip down into the thicket of trees below them.

Both men grunted as twigs scraped and poked them during the descent.

When Wesley’s feet hit the ground, he nearly fell because his legs had become so numb.

Behind him, Logan panted heavily with his hands on his knees. Wesley now had a good look at him.

Eight large black feathers hovered over Logan’s back, imitating crow wings. They emitted a dark energy. A pointy dark green hoodie hung halfway off of his ponytail. The deep maroon shirt underneath it covered his abdomen. Dark green pants were tucked into black cuffed knee boots.

“Wow…” Wesley gasped quietly.

Logan stood up straight. He opened and clenched his fists, then looked at Wesley.

“I’ll fight them off by myself,” he sighed.

Wesley shook his head, “No way, there’s five of them. Look, I’ll just call the police and—“

“The police can’t help in this kind of situation,” interrupted Logan, “I’ve been trying this entire time and they never get anything done.”

Wesley sighed through his nose, shying his hand away from his pocket where he had planned to reach for his phone “You’ve gotta be kidding,” he muttered.

“Listen, I’ve been running away from these guys this whole week, but this time, I’m gonna fight back,” Logan motioned around him as the leaves and the grass seemed to whirl around, “I’m in my element.”

Wesley smiled, “And what do you need me to do?”

“Find a safe place to hide,” said the witch.

Just as soon as it appeared, Wesley’s smile vanished, “I’m serious.”

“So am I,” countered Logan, “Look, this is a battle between a witch and a group of witch hunters. There’s no place for a human; you'd be overpowered.”

Wesley crossed his arms, “Damn, you’re right. Without anything to fight with, I would just get in the way…” he admitted.

Logan pointed to his left, “I saw a house just up that way. Stay with whoever’s inside,” he looked the other way as dark green energy emitted from his hands, “I’ll go find those bastards.”

Wesley gave a single nod and jogged in the direction of the house. Endless minutes seemed to tick by as he shuffled through the trees. His breath began to grow weary just before the number of trees dwindled. Once he saw the house in the distance, he was immediately hit with a jolt of energy.

He was already constructing the story that he would tell the inhabitants in his mind, trying to figure out what would convince them to let him stay for a while without raising too many red flags.

As he neared the house, an uneasy feeling began to settle in his stomach. Something wasn’t right about the house. Regardless, he knew staying outside wasn’t a good idea.

Wesley knocked on the door, noticing that all of the lights in the house were off and that there was no car in the parking lot.

“Hello?” he asked, knocking again “Is anyone even…there?”

Wesley’s statement trailed off as he noticed the door was only slightly closed. He pressed the door open with his finger tips and entered the dark home. Slowly, dread began to fill his being.

He hadn’t seen the outside of the home before, but now that he was inside, he knew. This was the same abandoned home he had seen in the dream. Although blurry and only lasting seconds, Wesley knew that this was unmistakably the same place.

“Wesley!”

Logan flew into the house and raised his arms purposefully. As he did that, the doorway became blocked with tightly woven grass strands.

Wesley jumped back, “ _Did…he do that?_ ” thought the awestruck man.

Logan turned to Wesley and desperately clutched his shoulders, “Where’re the owners?”

“No one lives here! It’s the same pl—“

The grass stretched and snapped as the men on the other side pushed against it.

“Find somewhere to hide,” Logan then hurried up the stairs.

Wesley watched as his crow wings carried him up the staircase. His figure was only visible in the small beams of light that pooled in through the holes in the house’s old roof. Wesley knew that if he didn’t act now, his dream would become a reality.

He hurried after the man and heard the witch hunters break through the grass barrier.

“He went upstairs!” one of them called out.

Heavy footsteps pounded upwards behind Wesley. He panicked as the sound drew nearer. 

Upstairs, Logan was caught in a corner. His eyes were wide with horror when he turned around to see Wesley and the hunters.

The winged man grunted as he struggled to push his arms up. The wooden floorboards beneath him began to move upwards with his arms, but there was no time.

A ray of yellow electricity shot up towards him. Wesley leaped in an attempt to push Logan out of the way, but ended up right in the path of the electricity.

A white light encompassed the space. It was gentle yet crisp. Both the hunters and the witch watched in awe.

Sky blue pants tucked into white ankle boots with blue laces. Blue armbands matched the accents lining the sides and the edges of the short-sleeved white shirt. Transparentmoth wings flexed from the man’s back as he stood straight.

Sparkling smoke emitted from Wesley, his eyes closed in a state of peace and focus.

The floor rocked as five hard thumps were heard. Then Wesley opened his eyes.

When the smoke cleared, the witch hunters lied on the floor. Soft snoring could be heard from some. Wesley blinked in shock, watching the enchanted smoke linger around their bodies before dispersing in a matter of seconds.

“Y-You’re a fae…?!” he heard Logan gasp behind him.

Wesley looked down at palms where the smoke emitted from, then looked back at Logan.

“I guess so…?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed Logan’s New Orleans accent to an English accent because, honestly, it fits the voice I have for him more properly (which is essentially like either member of the Rizzle Kicks).

“You’re doing fine. You’re a natural flier!”

“Whoa, hey, don’t let go, though!”

Logan sighed with a smile and tightened his grip on Wesley’s hand.

“I can assure you your wings won’t suddenly stop working, but I’ll keep holding on.”

The two males were flying side by side through the skies. Although Wesley had no problem getting himself into the air, he was still wary of the distance between himself and the ground. He scared himself whenever he accidentally dipped or jolted upwards.

“S-So, what happened back there?” the male stammered as he unsteadily flew “Did I, like, earn my wings from an act of courage or something?”

Logan chuckled “No, you’re born a fae. How did you not know that?”

Wesley found the surprise in the man’s tone almost audacious “How _would_ I know that? For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been human!”

“Everyone in your family is one hundred percent human, too?” questioned the witch “No fae relatives you haven’t met yet?”

“I mean…” Wesley licked his lips tentatively after the bold preface “Are you sure I wasn’t just born human and then I became a fae today?”

Logan shot him an almost insulted look “Positive. That’s impossible, anyway,” he said “Being a mythical creature ain’t a result of a prophecy or divine rights. I’m a witch because my parents were witches.”

“Well, my mom’s human, so…” Wesley trailed off, his eyes widening “Wait, maybe my dad’s a fae.”

Logan’s eyebrows perked up at the sudden shift in tone “Why your dad?”

“Because my sister is human, but she doesn’t have the same dad as me,” Wesley explained “My dad left when I was a toddler and I know the least about him. It’d be easy for him to hide being a fae if he was never around.”

Logan looked away, as if he had just heard something he was not supposed to. However, his unease was subsided when Wesley brightened up and said “So I’ll just call my mom and sister when I get home. Then I can figure out what I’ve got powers over. You think it was clouds or smoke?”

Logan shrugged “I’m not sure, but if your dad was a fae, then you got whatever power element he had. Even if your family doesn’t know, you’ll figure it out, eventually.”

* * *

Immediately upon entering the apartment, Wesley called out “Yo, Felicia, I’m home! Brought a guest!”

The abode responded with resounding silence.

The host roamed deeper into the home as Logan took a seat in the leather couch across the room. It sank in slightly from age and moaned under his weight. The coffee table between him and the modest television was empty except for the single remote control. The rest of the apartment held the same minimalistic decor and lack of expression. The few personal belongings that decorated the home appeared small in the surrounding blank space.

Soon, Wesley had returned to where Logan had resided “I forgot she’s staying at a friend’s house,” he said “She probably won’t be home until midnight.”

“Can you call your mom instead?”

“Yeah, I could put her on speaker phone so she can talk to you, too,” Wesley reached over to the beige phone on the counter separating the lounge from the kitchen. Slight tension clutched at the air as the two men waited for the dial tone to end.

“Hey Mom…Good, good, just uh, I just had a few questions…About Dad…like, were there any mythical creatures on his side of the family…Hello? Mom?”

Wesley stared down at the phone in confusion and slight irritation.

“What happened?” asked Logan.

The fae shrugged “She hung up.” He opened his mouth to give more explanation, but even he wasn’t completely sure why his mother reacted that way. Several reasons materialized in his mind, but all of them seemed equally dubious.

“Maybe she’s just not comfortable talking about him?” Logan suggestion emerged more as a question than a statement.

Wesley sighed and scratched at his hair “I should’ve just flat-out said I was a fae so she’d have to stay on the line with me. She probably just thought I was curious about Dad and wanted to ask random questions.”

Logan nodded in agreement and then comprehension “We can still ask your sister when she gets home.”

Wesley held back a groan “That’s more than seven hours away. I’d say we should go out somewhere to kill some time, but…”

His tone indicated his unease towards the likelihood of running into the witch hunters again. To this, Logan gave a dismissive scoff.

“This was a pretty normal day at work for me,” he said “But I can understand how crazy it must’ve been for you.”

Wesley raised a brow “Where do _you_ work?”

The smile that cross Logan’s lips spoke of pride and importance “An underground organization made for strong people like you and me: Lucent Service.”

The entire description sounded fantastical, yet Wesley found himself questioning one awkward phrase within it above everything else.

“Strong people?” the fae echoed.

“Well, I say that because humans _and_ mythical creatures work there,” Logan then leaned forward on his knees, his voice carrying more weight “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the normal police systems here are broken. Mythical creature policemen are underfunded and under experienced, human policemen abuse their power, and both have a huge problem with police brutality.”

Wesley crossed his arms with a frown “I knew about those last two, yeah…” he mumbled.

“And you know that the hate between humans and mythical creatures is out of control, but both police forces either stay quiet or endorse it,” continued Logan “Lucent Service is meant to cover that.”

“So you keep the peace between humans and mythical creatures? Hate crimes and all?” questioned Wesley.

The witch nodded confidently “Yeah, in fact, I’ve been trying to get those witch hunters in jail all week. That’s why they’ve been after me,” he pulled out what appeared to be a necklace with a star charm on it from beneath his shirt “I called back to the station after you knocked them out. Hopefully, they got arrested before thy could wake up.”

Wesley gave a slow nod of his own as he digested the information “So you _are_ sorta like a secret agent, but why is this underground at all?”

“By hipster logic, popularity ruins things. We’ve got a great thing going here, and unwanted attention from people who don’t agree with us could be a huge problem,” explained the witch “Also, we don’t wanna risk the actual police shutting us down. Taking the law into your own hands isn’t entirely legal.”

“Then why are you telling me?”

Before Logan could even speak, the spark in his gaze sent the message right into Wesley’s eyes.

“Hold up, hold up! I just found out I’m a fairy and you want me to become a secret agent?!” Wesley thrust his palms in front of him and took a cautious step backward.

Immediately, the excitement ebbed away from Logan’s face “Ah, damn, I’m sorry. I forgot. I’ve never met anyone who didn’t know what species they were.”

Logan’s words faded away in Wesley’s ears. The fae rubbed his forehead, which felt overstuffed and heavy. So much information was being poured into his mind just within those few hours. He almost felt like he might fall.

“Whoa, Wesley, are you okay?” Logan held the fae’s shoulder, who hadn’t even noticed the other getting up from the couch.

“I’m fine, just tired, really tired. Plus, I haven’t eaten all day,” Wesley then sighed “And there’s no food here…”

“Want me to pick up something from down the street?”

Wesley shook his head “No, no, you’ve already done a lot for me today.”

“You literally saved my life from a pack of witch hunters. I don’t think buying you a cheeseburger would be too much.

Wesley opened his mouth to argue, but found himself laughing at the bluntly stated words. Judging from the smile on Logan’s lips, this was exactly the kind of reaction he had wanted to elicit.

“I’ll pay you back later, then,” Wesley settled “I’m gonna go lie down. ”

He could barely hear Logan say “Cool,” as he yawned, turning to exit the lounge.

Wesley ghosted over to his room and instantly fell asleep upon making contact with his bed. This time, there were no foretelling dreams to speak of.

* * *

“This is a joke, right? Mama, tell me this is a joke!”

Wesley awoke to the sound of his sister’s voice, followed by the smooth murmuring that he knew to be his mother.

The man’s mind was blank, not even sure what day it was or what he had done that day after Felicia left for work. All of that information came flowing back in like a computer booting up for the first time.

With a gasp, Wesley flung the blankets from his body and stepped out of the room. His foot falls wobbled slightly from the sudden movement. When his hand clumsily thumped against the wall, all of the voices in the lounge silenced.

“Wesley?” called out Felicia.

“Yeah, it’s me,” the younger responded as he entered the lounge.

His brows furrowed briefly upon seeing Logan was still there. An appetizingly salty aroma hung in the air from the bag of hot food in Felicia’s hand and the lukewarm fast-food Logan had picked up hours ago.

An aging woman looked over at Wesley with eyes ironically calm in comparison to the daughter’s beside her.

“You already know what’s going on,” she said, a smile tugging at her dark lips.

Wesley nodded admittedly “How long were you guys in here?”

“Felicia just came in,” the mother said, jerking her thumb over to the woman “As soon as you asked about your dad, I came as fast as I could. Logan here said I just missed you, though, and you were fast asleep.”

She waved her hands in a relaxed manner “I figured “Let the child have some sleep. I know it’s been a long day.”” She then laughed cheerfully and ushered Wesley over to the kitchen table “Come on and take a seat. It’s gonna be a long story. Felicia baby, hand us some of that food Jaeylin made.”

The sister didn’t respond immediately. Her mouth was still slightly open in shock as she glanced briefly at Logan before setting the bag on the table. She leaned against the kitchen counter, but her eyes still occasionally returned to Logan with weariness.

The mother, on the other hand, turned to the man with candid appreciation in her features “Thanks again for watching over Wesley. You know, you’re free to join us for dinner.”

“That’s okay, ma’am, it’s really late and I should go home. Thank you for the offer,” he then lifted his head over to the son “And thanks again, Wesley.”

“Anytime,” Wesley waved as Logan left the apartment.

As soon as the young man started unpacking the food given to him, Felicia blurted out “I can’t believe you let a witch in our house!”

“Hush child!” scolded the mother “I don’t wanna hear such hateful words! We are going to talk about this openly and respectfully, from the beginning.”

With that, she gave a single nod to Wesley, who was busying himself chewing on the large panini in his hands. When he caught his mother’s gaze, he wiped his mouth with a napkin and swallowed.

“Okay, last night, I had a dream that Logan was being attacked by witch hunters in an old abandoned house,” he started, clearing his throat of extra crumbs afterwards “I never met Logan before or knew anything about the witch hunters, but when I saw him walking down the street, I knew I had to say something to him. I mean, if my dream was a psychic vision or a sign from God, I couldn’t just let that guy get hurt.”

The mother nodded as he spoke, smiling a bit when he mentioned the dream.

“And it turned out I was right: Logan was a witch getting stalked by witch hunters!”

Felicia spoke up again “Why did he have to drag you along the way? You could’ve gotten hurt.”

Catching the bitterness of her tone, Wesley replied with a proud “I chose to stick with him. And in the end, I saved him, too,” he swiped his hand before him as if to set a cinematic scene “Just as they were cornering him, I ran up and knocked them out with, uhm, some kind of knock-out gas or something.”

The mother then laughed, to which both children looked at her in bemusement.

“That wasn’t knock-out gas, my child,” she said “It was a sleeping cloud.”

Wesley inclined his head backwards “How do you know that?”

“Because your father was the fae of dreams,” she explained “He would have prophetic dreams just like you did last night, and he had powers over many dream clouds.”

“Fae of…dreams?” Wesley repeated “Really? Dreams? That’s kind of a weird power.”

The mother shook her head gently “Oh, but he was _strong_ ,” she admired.

Felicia scoffed “He didn’t even stick around to raise his own kid.”

Again the mother frowned at the older daughter “Now Felicia, you are not gonna talk about Wesley’s father like that. He was a good man and he treated you like his own daughter, too.”

“How do you leave your three-year-old son?!” Felicia all but shouted “I don’t care what his reason is, it was wrong.”

“Listen Felicia, I understand how you feel, but right now, this isn’t about you. It’s about Wesley. You and I can dig up that argument as many times as you’d like, but right now, Wesley’s the one that deserves answers. And frankly, I don’t think it’s fair to tear down a man that he was too young to remember right in front of him.”

The sister held her tongue, exhaling heavily through her nose like a defeated lion.

The mother then turned to her son “Now, Wesley, I didn’t exactly wanna bring up the topic of your father if it was gonna be a sore spot for you.”

The fae shook his head “No you’re right: I was too young to really know him, y’know? Honestly, all I wanted to know was if he was a fae or not, and what he did with those powers.”

“Oh well, nothing I recall. Sometimes he would link up our dreams at night just to have fun. Or he would put me to sleep when I wasn’t feeling well,” she chuckled happily “But other than that, he lived just like any other person. He went to work, came home, took care of you, and that’s it. One day, he said he’d be gone for a while and he just never came back.”

The mood dropped immediately upon uttering that last sentence. Even the mother, herself, seemed aware of the error she had made in putting that last.

“Is that really all you can tell me?” Wesley asked “Is anything gonna change for me?”

The smile returned to his mother’s face “Well that’s up to you, Wesley. You can choose to live a normal life like your dad, or use your powers to venture into a new avenue.”

* * *

The next morning, business resumed as usual. However, this time, Wesley slept in long after Felicia had gone to work. When he woke up, the sun was already high in the sky, and the morning chill was far gone.

When he entered the kitchen to retrieve his late breakfast, something caught his attention.

An envelope addressed to him sat on the kitchen table. Without hesitation, he picked it up and noticed two oddities. One was the fingerprint pattern over the stamp with the words “invitation identification” underneath. The other was the lack of a return address.

Out of curiosity, Wesley placed his thumb over the thick stamp, then gasped as a light flashed across the envelope and the following text appeared in the upper left corner:

_Lucent Service headquarters_

_Luna Avenue_

_45.06383, 135.96312_

Wesley quirked his brows at the strange address, but proceeded to open the envelope. Inside was a letter that read:

_Dear Wesley Carter:_

_It has been reported to us by one of our employees, Logan Wickens, that you have assisted him in the arrest of five witch hunters. As an expression of gratitude for helping us apprehend these criminals, we have attached a check at the bottom of this letter. Please collect the check within twenty four hours, as these letters are meant to disintegrate within that time period in order to maintain our privacy._

_Sincerely,_

_Frances Eastwood_

_President of Lucent Service_

_XXX-XXX-XXXX_

Wesley peeled off the check attached to the letter, mindful of the warning. Then his eyes widened as he read the numbers.

* * *

“We need more people on our team,” said Isaac as he nursed a bump on his head.

“Exactly. We can’t get anywhere with a lame acronym like N.S.I.,” commented Sterling.

Nikau chuckled mischievously “I prefer to see it as S.I.N.”

Isaac glowered at the two of both faes “That’s not what I mean, you asshats! We need more teammates to take on these missions. I’d like to keep _some_ bones unbroken!”

As he said this, Logan walked by, determination lining his smile.

Although none of the faes recognized him, Sterling and Nikau curiously followed him with their gazes as he made a beeline for the two supervisors conversing over coffee.

“Shanaya,” he addressed, barley able to contain his joy.

The Indian woman with with an undercut looked up at him “Yes, Logan?”

The witch held up his cellphone “We have another member willing to join.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, yes, Isaac, Sterling, and Nikau are part of the main characters. They only got a short appearance so far and I’m already imagining Isaac with a Karkat voice.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note: “Nikau” is pronounced “nee-koh” (as in, NicoB!). I thought it was pronounced “nee-kow” at first, so I figured other people might have made the same assumption.

 

"Oh the coordinates? Don't pay attention to those. That's where the physical headquarters is...The headquarters only has one physical location, but there are portals to get there...yeah, I have to tell you that. If it was on the letter, anyone could visit here, y'know?...Okay from where you are, there's an old run-down mall on Blacksmith Road....yeah, that one...yeah, go inside...yes, it's safe...make sure you have the letter with you. The minute you open the door, you'll show up here...'kay, good luck. Call me again if you need anything."

Logan hung up and pocketed his phone.

He briefly noticed Sterling and Nikau, who, during his conversation, had migrated from their table to the one nearest to him. Isaac reluctantly sat in the second nearest table with his chair cocked to the side. However, before Logan could even give the trio any more regard, his supervisor spoke up.

"So he's the man who helped you with those witch hunters?" asked Shanaya "Wesley, was it?"

"Yeah, he's a fae," confirmed Logan "A dream fae, to be specific."

Immediately, the lilac-haired woman sitting in front of Shanaya bounced in her chair "A  _dream_  fae? I didn't think anyone had that element anymore!"

"Is it rare?" questioned Shanaya.

"Extremely, and one of the most powerful!" answered the woman.

Sterling's lips stretch into a confident grin "Say, Beatrix, didn't you say you'd like to have another fae on your squad?" he asked.

The slender woman brushed her long fingernails across her chin "If anything, I only recall you three saying that," she said "But if I'm honest, that would be ideal."

Shanaya clicked her tongue "Oh, so you're just going to snatch this fae out of my hands as soon as you hear how powerful he is?" she said jokingly.

Beatrix scoffed "He's not a Pokemon, Shanaya. I just think it'd be nice to have another fae around to hang out with the boys."

"He's not a new puppy to introduce to your other "pets", either," snarked the short-haired woman.

To this, Beatrix could only roll her eyes.

"Well, I agree with Beatrix," said Isaac as he turned around in his seat "We could really use another set of hands on the team right now to even out the workload, and if he's really as strong as you say he is, that'd be perfect!"

"Ehh, I don't really like the idea of being outshined..." commented Sterling.

Isaac lightly pushed the Latino "It's not a competition, moron," he grumbled.

Sterling chuckled in response.

"Hey, he'll make us look better," said Nikau "We'll be "That division with the dream fae"."

The husky man rubbed his chin in thought "Wesley, huh? So a "W"...S.I.N....W.I.N.S.?"

"You're still on the acronym thing?" questioned Isaac.

As if he hadn't spoken, Sterling said "W.I.N.S. sounds alright."

"Sweet," replied Nikau with a sly grin.

Beatrix laughed "Guys, he hasn't even gone through training yet."

"I'm sure he'll get it no problem," confidently stated Logan.

As if on cue, a bubblegum pink light flashed from the doorway that the witch had come from, accompanied by an electric buzzing.

"Well, he found the portal," said Nikau.

Logan hurried to the room to greet the fae.

He stepped inside just as Wesley stumbled off of the blue platform, catching him in his arms before the fae could completely fall off.

"Who-whoa!" gasped Wesley "Phew...thanks for the save."

Logan smiled at the other male "I'm just glad you made it," he said "I was just telling everyone about you."

"Everyone? Like, your teammates?" inquired Wesley as he was led to the other room.

"Sorta. My supervisor's here, but I was also talking with another division that was interested."

As Wesley came under the illumination of the lights within the room, everyone's curious expressions became shadowed with concern.

Wesley's dark skin was littered with bruises and small scrapes. Small specks of dirt also rested on his attire.

"Whoa, dude, what happened?" Sterling asked.

Immediately knowing what he was referring to, Wesley said "Oh, my sister took the car, so I had to fly over here. Still getting the hang of it, though."

"Wait, "getting the hang of it"?" questioned Isaac "What do you mean?"

Logan gave a sheepish chuckle "Ah, I forgot to tell you guys that...well, Wesley didn't know he was a fae until yesterday."

Everyone shared their own expressions of surprise, their statements merging into a jumbled mess of gasped words and unfinished questions.

Only Sterling's "How did that happen?" made it through.

"Well, my mom said that my dad was a fae, but I didn't know because he left when I was a toddler," explained Wesley, who felt his cheeks heat up slightly when he heard Beatrix give a sad "Aw" under her breath.

"Up until now, I'd never triggered my powers or anything," finished the man.

"Why didn't your family tell y—ow!" Sterling winced as Isaac jabbed his elbow into the other's side. Unlike his earlier push, this actually held some force due to the seriousness behind it. Sometimes Sterling was just  _too_  talkative.

Regardless, Wesley responded "You know, I never thought to ask. I guess they just...wanted me to live a normal life?"

After a beat of silence, the man blurted out "I mean, not that mythical creatures aren't normal or anything."

Nikau snickered "It's okay, brother, it can't be easy what you're going through right now," he reassured "We'll help you get acclimated once you're part of the team."

"Not so fast," interrupted Beatrix, her expression sober "I'm not sure about this anymore."

Wesley felt his gut sink, worried he had rubbed the woman the wrong way. Had his "normal life" statement really offended her? To him, everyone in the room looked human, so he couldn't say for sure.

"Listen, we employ both humans and mythical creatures, but your case is different," explained Beatrix "You were raised as a human your whole life, and by the sound of it, you've lived a domestic one."

She waved her finger around the room "These guys are all young, but being mythical creatures and raised as such gives them an advantage over humans. Typically, the humans we hire are former police officers or veterans. It wouldn't be fair hire you with your lack of experience."

"B-But new guys go through training," defended Logan.

"That's not enough," said Beatrix "Wesley barely knows how to fly, something faes learn during childhood."

"I agree with Beatrix," said Shanaya "Even the training would be too high of an expectation to put on you."

Shame clutched at Wesley's heart, and suddenly the previous flame of his vigor and pride was put out.

Beatrix looked to the young man "I'm sorry, Wesley. This isn't your fault. I know you want to join, but—"

"We'll train him."

Isaac suddenly spoke up, gaining everyone's attention.

"We'll teach him all the basics before he goes into actual training. Flying, attacks, using fairy dust,  and everything in between. We'll do it, right guys?"

The two more jovial males hesitated, caught off-guard by their teammate's sudden change of character.

"S-Sure, yeah," abided Sterling.

"Yeah, ain't no thing," agreed Nikau.

The supervisor looked sternly at her three subordinates, not giving away any opinion through her expression.

After her cold green eyes landed back on Wesley, she chirped "Okay then! Sounds like a decent plan," she eagerly clapped in a "closed book" motion "I'm counting on you guys."

Shanaya gave an encouraged grin "I'm excited to see how this'll turn out."

* * *

"Alright, here seems like a good place."

The four young men stood within a vast, grassy plane. Just over the horizon, the edge of a bustling city could be seen. The faint noises of traffic and other urban activity could just barely be heard over the wind.

The men had transformed soon after departing from the portal, revealing to Wesley their identities as faes.  
Similar to his previous attire of a red sweatshirt and sneakers, Isaac now wore a long red vest that extended to his mid thigh, maroon elbow-length arm sleeves, black pants, and red knee boots. Red dragonfly wings sprouted from his figure.  
Sterling's attire was much more lax, as it had consisted of a high collar sleeveless orange shirt, mismatched armbands, and ripped brown pants tucked into orange boots. His wings appeared to be concealed by a firm shell much like a beetle's.  
Probably the most appropriate, in Wesley's mind, was Nikau's outfit, which consisted of a black short-sleeved crop top with a purple zipper, black and purple fingerless gloves, black pants with one purple pant leg, and black ankle boots. His crop top revealed Maori tattoos across his beefy figure. Purple and black cicada wings topped his attire.

"Sorry we couldn't go back to your hometown, but I thought it'd be safer using magic in one of our neighborhoods," said Isaac.

"I understand, but how far away from New York are we?" asked Wesley.

"We're in Chi-Town, brother!" announced Nikau with a proud puff of his heavy chest.

In an instant, the blue-clad man's eyes widened "Th-The portal took us that far?!"

"Yeah, Lucent Service needs agents from all over the country to get the job done," explained Sterling "If they just stuck to one location and only protected one city, well, they'd be a pretty crap corporation."

Isaac approached Wesley "I know your flying needs work, but let's try attacks first. Flying can help when you need a speedy escape, but it won't mean jack if you can't defend yourself," he pointed towards a particularly tall dandelion that towered over the others "See that flower?"

"Dandelions are weeds, not flowers."

"Oh I'm sorry, Sterling, I could've sworn we didn't come here to teach botany!" Isaac then returned his focus "Anyway, I want you to try an offensive attack on it."

"An offensive attack?" echoed Wesley "You mean, like, another dream cloud?"

"Well, maybe, we don't know until you try," Isaac then stepped away from Wesley "Here, I'll show you."

Isaac held his open palms towards each other as a red gelatinous orb formed between his hands.

Wesley observed in awe as he realized that the orb was lava with small, specks of black molten rock swirling about. He could even feel the heat radiating from it.

He watched Isaac pull his hands back in a fashion similar to a baseball pitcher and fling the lava at the dandelion.

Small splatters of lava bounced off of the initial target and scorched pieces of surrounding dandelions. Sparkles floated into the air in the place of smoke, giving off a sweet, smoky scent akin to a burning candle.

"Just focus on shooting the target," explained Isaac.

Wesley mimicked the pose the shorter fae had and concentrated, his expression straight and pensive. However, over a minute passed and nothing happened.

"Okay, let's take it step by step, first," Isaac posed himself alongside Wesley again "So far, you've got a great form, good balance and everything. Now focus your attention on your heartbeat. Keep pace with it; every time your heart beats, focus on how the blood pumps energy through your veins. Now just take hold of that energy and..."

Another spurt of lava shot from Isaac's hands, this time messier and less contained. However, it was quickly put out upon making impact with the ground and only left a black scorch in the center of the green grass.

Wesley's hands remained barren.

Nikau casually sauntered over to the male "Isaac had the right idea with focusing on your heart, but it ain't just about blood circulation," he said, earning a bemused frown from the shorter fae.

"We're magical creatures, Wesley; we operate by soul and feeling. If you wanna use your magic, you gotta feel it in your heart first," Nikau stepped aside, giving him even space between himself and the other faes, and began waving his hands around in a circular motion "You're a dream fae, right? So get in that element; get in touch with the dreams in your heart. Feel it in your soul. Remember that it's who you are, and once you do that..."

The hefty man now had black smoke circling around his hands. He lifted his hands up to his lips and gave the smoke a gentle blow. The smoke turned it into a small tornado that ripped through the dandelions, taking a few in its path.

Again, Wesley was impressed, but his hands remained empty.

Isaac clicked his tongue "I don't know why you thought that hippy shit would work."

Nikau only gave a small shrug "Worth a shot."

"Alright, step aside fellas, let me show you how a pro does it."

At last, Sterling boldly approached the scene as he rubbed his hands together "You see, Wesley, it's all about that energy. Imagine you're facing off against those witch hunters again They're closing in and you've gotta act fast. The pressure's on, and tension's high. You're in the heat of the moment and then...!" Golden electricity zapped from the tips of Sterling's fingers and extinguished a dandelion with a harsh pop.

Wesley sighed as he realized that his own attempt had fallen flat once again.

Noticing this, Sterling patted his shoulder "Hey man, learning magic is like learning how to drive. You're not gonna get it all in one day."

"I know, but I'm not sure your strategies are gonna work for me," said Wesley "All three of you have different methods, and from the looks of it, it relates to your powers."

The other three faes looked curiously amongst themselves and the golden weeds that fell victim to their tutoring sessions.

"Huh, I never thought of it that way," commented Isaac as he scratched at his cornrows "But it makes a lot of sense. Our parents are the ones who teach us how to use our powers since they pass them onto us."

"So all we gotta do is find Wesley a dream fae to--oh..."

Isaac glowered at Sterling as he retracted his statement "You dumbass..." he murmured.

Wesley gave another sigh "Trying to track down my dad would burn a lot of time. I honestly think I'd have better luck just trying to teach myself," he looked at his empty palm as he pensively opened and closed his hand "I mean, I used an attack without being taught how. I can do it again."

* * *

“ _Huh_? They seriously locked up the Five-Star Witch Hunters?”

An Asian man with spiky olive green hair moaned in an almost taunting manner as he adjusted his serpentine necklace “Geez, and I was really rooting for those guys. What a shame.”

The man beside him scoffed as he adjusted his glasses “Seriously? They were just a bunch of rotten humans looking for the next kill. They hardly even had any tact. Unfortunately, one of those “rotten humans” just so happens to be my brother.”

The green-haired male gasped “Really?”

“Yes,” the other confirmed “And as much as it pains me to say it, I can’t let my kin go down in such an undignified way.”

The green-haired male gave a cheeky grin “Sounds like someone’s planning a jailbreak.”

“No, no, that’s far too petty,” declined the bespectacled man “Where I come from, an act of revenge is more honorable than an act of pity.”

* * *

Isaac groaned exhaustedly as he leaned on his knees “I’m beat!” he declared “Let’s stop for today and grab some Wendy’s.”

“Bruh, that stuff’ll kill you,” said Nikau.

To this, Isaac rolled his eyes “Look, Nick, I’m not in the mood to hunt down an expensive restaurant that fits your bougie health concerns.”

Instead of responding, the hefty man hummed the lyrics to “Bad and Bougie” as he pulled back his already slicked back hair.

Wesley laughed at the exchange as he flew down to their level. He transformed back into his street clothes just before landing, causing him to drop harshly onto the ground. At first, he didn’t react much to the trio’s banter, but after spending a few hours with them, he had become close enough to outright enjoy it.

Sterling planted his hands on his hips “I gotta hand it to you, Wesley. You nailed flying in one afternoon. Hell, you taught yourself how to transform at will before you got here. You learn fast!”

“Ah, thanks, it’s nothing really,” Wesley chuckled, modestly.

“Wait, what’d you transform back for?” questioned Isaac.

Wesley looked to his left as he realized the man was talking to him “Huh? Oh, you said we were gonna stop by Wendy’s.”

“Yeah, but we’re flying over there,” Isaac stood up and stretched his arms across his chest.

Wesley’s nerves tingled slightly “Whoa, all of us? Together? Won’t we get a lot of attention?”

When he flew with Logan that night, he could feel the eyes of his city’s people on his stomach. Even when he flew to the portal alone, he had managed to grab even more attention. Granted, he was aware that a lot of that was from his minor crashes and fumbles.

“In a human neighborhood, maybe,” scoffed Isaac “But we’re in a mythical part of of Chicago. Everyone with wings flies here.”

“Ohh,” Wesley stared at the blue sky above the city, wondering how many of the specks poking through the clouds were aircrafts, and how many were people like him.

* * *

Wesley watched in awe as the chef produced flames from his finger tips beneath the rack of burgers and the boiling oil.

He overheard the two teenagers before him order “extra red ketchup” from the Vampire menu off to the side.

An irate employee marched up to her lax coworker and murmured “Hey, you know the policies; no using telekinesis to do your work unless you’re handicapped,” to which the other man snorted “Tightass.”

Isaac’s hand tapped Wesley’s shoulder “Hey, I know it’s your first time in one of these neighborhoods, but you gotta stop staring.”

Wesley blinked and shook his head “Sorry, I’m just…”

“Shook?” Nikau leaned in to say.

Wesley laughed “Yeah, pretty much. And to think this is normal life for you guys is just incredible.”

“Guys, they brought back baconator fries!” blurted out Sterling.

“Forreal?” questioned Isaac as he stepped up.

Wesley was about to join in their enthusiastic discussion of the menu items when an interesting set of eyes met with his own.

The teal stare belonged to a large man. Despite his size, he moved with the swiftness and smoothness of mist in the wind. He was black with dark hair woven into twisties with green tips. His stare seemed to linger on Wesley as he departed from the restaurant.

“Yo Wesley, you know what you wanna get?”

Nikau’s words broke the man out of his trance and brought him back to reality.

Wesley looked between Nikau and the place where he last saw the teal-eyed man “Ah, yeah, yeah, we’re up next?”

“Yeah, c’mon,” Nikau rolled his shoulder to beckon Wesley over to the counter, who gave one last glance over his own shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m kinda working with a funny format because the boys don’t fit the Five-Man Band trope the same way that Winx Club and W.I.T.C.H. do. Wesley’s the Smart Guy, which is something usually a secondary protagonist acts as instead of the main protagonist. Isaac’s the Leader despite not being the main protagonist. Nikau and Sterling both kinda act as the Heart because of Nikau’s sincerity and Sterling’s energetic personality. When I was developing the characters, it just sorta happened that way. Let me know what you all think of it.


	4. Chapter 4

The bespectacled man tapped his finger on the surface of the crystal ball in subtle frustration. The image inside was vague and shrouded in smoke. If only he had the luxury of viewing these events through a normal news outlet, but the human-dominated society only seemed to conveniently show magical news when the criminal was the one wielding magical powers. Instead, he had to waste his own precious mana trying to contact the witch hunters in jail.

“Come on now…one of you has to be open for communication…”

In that moment, his green-haired partner entered the room with a carefree stride and a hum “How’s it going, Python?”

A crease formed between the bespectacled man’s dark brows “Quiet, Viper. I can barely focus as it is.”

The other male complied and took a seat in the deep purple couch that mirrored the hues of the walls. That combined with the black and white tiles of the floor gave off the perfect regal “villain’s lair” aesthetic. But if you asked the inhabitants of this home, they were neither regal nor villainous.

Just as soon as Viper swiped his cellphone from the glass coffee table and began toying around with one of his many games, a gasped “Ah! Got it!” echoed from across the room, effectively making him jump and get a premature Game Over screen.

Viper regarded his partner with an irate expression, but the man hadn’t paid any mind.

“Hello? Who am I talking to right now?”

As Python concentrated on the crystal ball, a voice interrupted by static and stuttering arose. After all, thoughts are never as clear and solid as we would like them to be.

“ _What…? Who’s talking…to me?_ ”

Of course, Python couldn’t answer that question “Don’t worry, you’re not crazy. I’m just talking to you through a crystal ball. Right now I can’t visit you in jail, so this is my best way of getting to you.”

“ _Why?…What do you want…with me?_ ”

“I just have two questions, okay?” started Python “One, are you one of the witch hunters that was caught recently?”

The man’s response came in like a solid punch “ _Did you turn me in?!_ ”

Though, Python anticipated this “No, I’m looking for the person who turned you in,” he said “I don’t very much like what he did to you and your friends, so I’d like to dish out my own bit of justice.”

Without even speaking, a fast-paced scene began to play out in the crystal ball. The witch hunter summoning the memory continued to try to put it into words. Regardless, Python ignored those words and instead chose to observe the events.

It went by so fast that Python swiped his fingers on the underbelly of the ball to replay the scene. It was hard to decipher since the witch hunter blacked out shortly after the culprit’s appearance, but at some point, Python was able to find him.

A black man probably just a few years younger than Python, himself. It looked like he had transformed and used an elemental power in one swift move. However, because of the darkness, Python couldn’t see the man’s wings to determine if he was a witch or a fae.

“Save image,” with a single tap on the crystal ball, the scene paused on the clearest frame of the man Python could land on “Viper, go get Nerodia.”

“Why don’t you get him?” sneered the other, his focus increasing on his phone game.

Python inhaled deeply through his nose and lifted his head to call out “Nerodia!”

His voice rang through the room, but Viper had been prepared this time and didn’t jump. Instead he chuckled “You sound like a mom.”

“Shut up.”

Soon after, a young man with green-tinted twisties entered the room with an obedient “Yes?”

Python turned the crystal ball on its wooden platform as it emitted a squeak not unlike an unscrewed lightbulb. He then removed the ball once it was free and handed it over to the muscular male.

“I need you to find this guy and plant a coil on him,” explained Python “If you lose the image, contact one of the jailed witch hunters again, but…” he leaned forward in his chair “Don’t talk to my brother.”

The man known as Nerodia placed the crystal ball in his satchel “Understood,” he said.

* * *

“Beyoncé is a siren?!”

“You’d think,” Isaac laughed “I mean, what human has that much influence with just their voice?”

Wesley’s eyes shifted between the shorter male and the sidewalk they were walking down.

“She’s human,” Sterling stated “Isaac’s just really thirsty for that mythical creature representation.”

“I am _not_ thirsty, okay?” said Isaac “It just couldn’t hurt to see more mythical creatures on TV, am I right?”

The trio were walking back through the field they had trained in earlier. Nikau had left earlier to go home since he lived within the city. Even though this city was also home to Isaac, he had to leave with Sterling and Wesley to pick up a healing crystal from Lucent Service.

“Do you think it fell out of your pocket when we left?” asked Wesley “Maybe Beatrix picked it up.”

“I kinda hope not. Then I’d have to track her down to get it back,” Isaac shrugged.

“Better hope she didn’t step on it with those heavy boots of hers,” said Sterling “A knock-off healing crystal from Walgreen’s isn’t as durable as a real one.”

As they approached the portal left behind, the latino turned and said “Well, see ya around!” before hopping in.

Isaac was the next to step in “Later, Wesley.”

“Later, guys,” the taller male said as the swirling light swallowed up his new friends.

He took one last look at the city of Chicago behind him before dipping into the portal, himself.

* * *

Felicia sat on the couch with the TV flashing bright lights in front of her, but she paid no attention to the story being told. Her focus was locked onto the peach-colored cellphone in her hand, scrolling through the numerous outgoing calls in her log. Her heels dug into the edge of the couch as her knees were hugged up to her chest. She had already changed into her pajamas, but she was nowhere near relaxed.

Suddenly the door opened, causing her to jerk up as her brother entered with a relieved “Phew!”

Upon seeing his sister, Wesley gave a flippant “Hey Felicia, what’s up?”

“”What’s up?”” the woman fired back “I’ve been losing my mind tryna get a hold of you, that’s what!”

“Seriously? I didn’t hear anything,” Wesley pulled out his phone from his pocket, genuinely curious as to why he missed his sister’s calls.

For a brief moment, his brows creased, but then he realized “Oh yeah, the guys said that sometimes the portals mess up your phone for a bit.”

The entirety of that simple statement threw Felicia into a whirlwind of confusion “Portals? What do you mean portals? And who are “the guys”? Your friends from college?”

“No, no, these are new friends I made today,” explained Wesley “They’re faes, too, so they were helping me practice my powers and flying.”

Felicia stood up from the couch so that she would no longer have to crane her neck uncomfortably to see Wesley “Faes? Like actual magic faes?”

“Is there any other kind?”

Not appreciating the joke, Felicia placed her hands on her hips “Boy, you’re telling me you were playing around with real portals?”

“ _Not_ playing around,” Wesley punctuated “We just used one to go to Chicago.”

Felicia’s eyes grew almost as wide as her glasses “Chi-Chicago?! Why?! What the hell were you doing all the way over there?!”

“Isaac and Nikau live there,” said Wesley “We decided to train there and grab some lunch since they knew the area.”

The elder sister was growing annoyed by the casual attitude he was taking on, but Wesley saw it best to just answer her questions as they come without mirroring her lethal attitude. He knew that becoming agitated or defensive would only make matters worse. A one-sided argument was better than a full one.

“What are you training for, anyway? You don’t have any reason to use your powers,” Felicia said with traces of a pout.

A huffed laugh brushed through Wesley’s throat “Well, it’s part of my job requirements,” he grinned.

“What job did you get that humans can’t get?”

Wesley’s smugness tapered off when he remembered what Logan had said about Lucent Service: “ _By hipster logic, popularity ruins things. We've got a great thing going here, and unwanted attention from people who don't agree with us could be a huge problem. Also, we don't wanna risk the actual police shutting us down. Taking the law into your own hands isn't entirely legal._ ”

“Just a little, uh, secret service— I mean,” Wesley tried to mask his nervousness as an attempt to find the right words. He snapped his fingers and muttered “How do I explain it…?” under his breath to really sell the act.

“We basically do extra jobs for big companies like transporting materials, acting as security, and, uh, and testing out products for the mythical community,” he said.

“Hmph, and humans can’t do that?”

Wesley saw the bitter question as another way to conceal his secret “No, just mythical creatures. People with wings are needed for transportation. Security and escorts need defensive magic. The products—“

Felicia scoffed “I get it,” with a dismissive wave “Geez, one day of being a fae and you’re already getting cozy with the mythical creatures.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

The woman didn’t answer. Instead, her attention turned to the television as it displayed a newscast reporter talking about another lycan attack.

“See? That’s why you need to stay careful out there.”

Wesley gave an annoyed sigh “Yeah, yeah.”

The shift in topics meant it was the end of the interrogation for Wesley, and that was all he was really looking for in the end.

* * *

The city lights peeked through the blinds of the window, painting orange lines across his blanketed body. The sounds of nighttime traffic swam inside the bedroom along with the night air. It was the lullaby that put Wesley to sleep every night. However, even if he was awake, he wouldn’t be able to feel the snake shadow slithering across his skin.

At a glance, anyone would have assumed that it was just a tattoo. It would have hid well on an already heavily tattooed body. On a bare body like Wesley’s, though, it was forced to hide beneath his clothes to avoid any suspicion. Finally, now that the man was alone without any witnesses, the snake was free to complete its mission.

The snake slithered up Wesley’s torso, across his chest, and finally wrapped itself around his neck.

Wesley awoke with a choke. He clawed at his neck but, of course, only grabbed fistfuls of air. His nails scraped uselessly against his skin as he tried to free himself of whatever was constricting him. As his panic rose, it became even harder to breathe. He couldn’t even call out to his sister if he wanted to.

Wesley’s pajamas transformed into his fae attire. It wasn’t intentional. Rather it was an involuntary effort to survive, like a punch in the dark when faced with an unknown enemy.

As Wesley’s mind grew hazy and the world swirled around him, one thought ran through his mind: “ _I’ve gotta get this off of me. Whatever’s choking me, I need to rip it off!_ ”

Blue clouds extended from his fingers and curled around his neck. Like thread, they intertwined around the intricate design of the snake clutching at his throat, and with an unsettling creak, it snapped the serpentine entity like brittle chains.

Tears cluttered the edges of Wesley’s eyes as he took in large gulps of air, clutching his chest for fear he would be deprived of that air once again. Remnants of his blue clouds fluttered around his face.

The fae sat up, wanting to regain full consciousness, but also wanting to turn on the light in case another threat still lied within his room.

He looked around, the dim lamp light making his cozy bedroom now feel eerie, as if a monster would poke its head out of his closet or from under his bed.

Wesley even jumped when he felt an unfamiliar texture on his pillow. Looking down, he saw black fragments of the snake had materialized into physical pieces after they were broken. He knew that what had just happened wasn’t human.

* * *

Logan collected the last of the fragments in a hard plastic bottle, closing it tightly with a cork.

Behind him, Wesley and Felicia stood awaiting his diagnosis of the situation. Though, it was an odd sight with the brother still in his fae form, his wings awkwardly folded to accommodate for the small corner he stood in.

“I don’t wanna use a revival spell on it to see what it was,” said Logan as he eyed the contents of the bottle “From what you said, it was definitely some kind of magical weapon. Nothing normal at all. Did you run into any trouble today?”

“No! I just went to Wendy’s with the guys and went right back home.”

Felicia sneered “Maybe one of “the guys” planted that thing on you.”

Wesley glared at her, visible irritation lining his features.

“Sterling, Isaac, and Nikau?” Logan questioned in surprise “No way. They’d never do something like this.”

“And they’re my friends, Felicia,” said Wesley “They wouldn’t try to kill me.”

“You’ve known them for, like, a day!” scoffed Felicia.

“Well, I’m gonna bring this over to the police,” said Logan “If it makes you feel any better, you guys can sleep over at my house for the night.”

Just as Wesley sighed a relieved “Oh, thank you,” Felicia overshadowed him with a firm “No, no, that’s fine. We can stay here.”

The younger of the two frowned “What the—no we can’t! Whatever that was latched onto me without me even noticing. Whoever sent it probably knows where I live!”

“How about I put a protection spell on the apartment?” suggested Logan.

Felicia squinted as she drummed her fingers across her arm, as if evaluating the authenticity of the witch’s proposal.

“…Sure. I guess that could work,” she decided.

Wesley, paranoia still clutching at his being, said “Alright, but I’m sleeping on the couch.”


	5. Chapter 5

Wesley landed to his feet, trying to follow Isaac with a long blue cloud forming from his hand. However, it flickered and died out like a flashlight as he winced in pain, holding his shoulder.

Isaac, who had been protecting himself with a magma shield, asked, “What happened? You were really doing good with that dream cloud of yours.”

The taller fae groaned, “It’s my shoulder,” he said, “I was sleeping on the couch last night and my whole body’s been killing me since.”

Just then, Sterling stepped up to see what had interrupted their training, “What’s that? Sounds like someone’s in the doghouse,” he joked.

Wesley gave a snicker through his pain, “Nah, it’s not like that,” he said, “Someone put a snake-curse-thing on me yesterday and it nearly choked me in my sleep.”

Isaac and Sterling gave a simultaneous “What?!” and “Forreal?!” as Nikau approached them to hear the conversation.

“A snake curse?” the hefty man asked.

“Yeah, I guess,” Wesley answered, uneasily, “Even Logan didn’t know what it was. He put the scraps in a jar and said that he was gonna take it to the police for investigation.”

“He means Shanaya, then,” commented Sterling, “When we’re talking about Lucent Service in public, we’ll usually call it the police.”

“Oh, really?”

“Gotta keep it secret,” said Nikau.

Isaac frowned, “It’s gotta be those witch hunters, again,” he said.

“But they’re incarcerated, remember?” Wesley pointed out, feeling a small boost to his ego upon hearing that he was responsible for that, “They couldn’t have broken out in three days.”

Isaac rubbed his chin, reconsidering his accusation, “I guess, being humans and all,” he pondered, “Still, witch hunters like that know how to turn mana into anti-magic. They're dangerous.”

“What’s mana?” asked Wesley.

“It's basically magic in its natural form,” explained Sterling, “They're usually in crystal clusters wherever you find normal gemstones.”

“Wait, wait,” said Wesley, putting out his hands, “Are you saying we all have crystals inside of us?”

Nikau chuckled, “Nah, I'm afraid this ain't Steven Universe, brotha,” he pointed towards Isaac, “Take Lil Red the Hothead over here—”

The fae in question grumbled, “I told you not to call me that…”

“—Lava's his element, but that doesn't mean he's got actual lava inside of him--”

“Contrary to popular belief!” added Sterling, who was then softly punched by Isaac.

“--Lava exists in nature, too,” Nikau continued without breaking his own flow, “The same goes for magic. We're magical beings, but magic exists in nature, too.”

Wesley started to nod, “So, in other words, we generate things like magic and other elements in nature, but it's not a physical part of our bodies?”

“You got it.”

“Well, in that case, we can't really suspect the witch hunters anymore,” said Wesley, “No jail warden is gonna let prisoners smuggle mana crystals in, right?”

Sterling made a lewd gesture with his fingers, “Not unless they stick them up--”

“Cavity searchest, Sterling!” another punch to the taller fae’s arm before Isaac groaned, “Can't believe you made me just say that…”

Nikau closed off the frivolous exchange with a calm, “Anyway, I say just wait until Logan comes back with a report.”

Wesley gave a stressed sigh and shrugged, “Alright,” he then turned to the bickering duo away from him, “Hey Isaac, does your healing crystal fix muscle cramps?”

Still annoyed by Sterling’s quip, the shorter man begrudgingly flicked his hand as a green crystal attached to a lanyard appeared in a flash of light.

Wesley’s eyes widened, “I-Is that where the stuff in our pockets go when we transform? It just goes in a…” he breathed a chuckle.

Sterling casually answered, “Pocket dimension, yeah,” then he paused, meeting eyes with Wesley as he realized the coincidental pun.

Both snorted in laughter as Isaac rolled his eyes, “Just for that, you’re not getting this crystal.”

Though, of course, the smile on his face said otherwise.

* * *

Beatrix smacked her lips on the beef jerky as though she were chewing bubblegum, her amber eyes scanning the road in front of her. Had she been in the company of others, she would have had the courtesy to eat quietly, but she was alone in her snug, creamy yellow car.

In the distance, the low cry of a train could be heard, and gradually, a line of cars began to form in front of her. Without a second thought, the woman flicked a manicured finger over her turn signal and drove onto the much more clear road to her right.

Darkness crept in around Beatrix as the headlights of the other cars dissipated. This wasn’t the first time she had taken a shortcut to evade the traffic that the train would cause. It was almost second nature to her to make that turn every time she heard that horn, a sort of Pavlovian conditioning.

As the woman drove deeper into the neighborhood, she noticed a strange display happening in the shadows. From the distance, she saw two figures, one of them morphing and shifting before combining with the other one. 

Beatrix’s foot eased off of the gas pedal the closer she got to the obscure sight.

When her headlights glossed over the scene, that foot immediately transferred to the brakes and her hand swung the shift gear into park.

Beatrix dashed out of the car and tackled the lycan beast clawing at the man. Her arms hooked underneath the strong underarms as she struggled to peel the growling canine away. Underneath, the man was screaming in horror and kicking in both an attack to hurt the lycan and put distance between them and himself.

Beatrix grunted as she fell onto her back with the lycan in her arms. Her amber eyes glowed with an animalistic ferocity and her turquoise nails extended into long claws. A serpentine tail glimmering with green scales flickered and flailed between her legs.

The man’s wide eyes were glued to the scene of the two monsters fighting, his mouth agape as he scooted himself away. Eventually, he finally got up the strength to push himself up and run.

Beatrix rolled over, using her tail as extra leverage, and effectively pinning the lycan to the ground. She swiped an arm brace from within her coat and shackled the furry arms behind their back. With a click, a green light blinked on the arm brace.

There was a moment of stillness as Beatrix stared down the assailant, breathing heavily through her nose. The being beneath her decompressed slightly like a deflating balloon as the thick fur and toned muscle shrank away. She had anticipated this much. What the woman hadn’t anticipated was the teary-eyed teenager craning her head back up at her.

“Oh-h god…” the youth shuddered as her tears dropped against the concrete, “Where a-am I…?”

* * *

“It’s a Boa Constrictor Coil.”

Shanaya didn’t have the black fragments with her, but she didn’t have to for Logan to know what she was talking about.

“Boa Constrictor?” repeated the fae, “So it was a snake creature?”

“No, it just mimicked one,” said Shanaya with a shake of her head, “It attaches itself to the target’s skin, but it looks like a tattoo and the target can’t feel it. When the Coil gets the opportunity, it will travel to the neck and—“

“Who would make something like that?!” Logan interrupted in a gasp. He wore a grimace matched with a twinge of determination.

Shanaya, on the other hand, remained impartial, “Well, I can’t say for sure, but I know it was a weapon pioneered by Nagas,” she said with a wag of her finger, “They’re not as popular of a weapon as guns or switch blades, so it was probably handed down from a gang or something.”

“A Naga gang?” questioned Logan, “And what would they want to kill Wesley for?”

Before Shanaya could give her own speculation, two pairs of footsteps followed by whimpering and soothing words grew closer, grabbing both members’ attention.

Around the bend of the hallway, Beatrix turned in their direction, holding her arm over the shoulders of a sniffling teenage girl.

“…gonna be okay, Maya. We’ll find out,” Beatrix was in the middle of saying into the girl’s ear.

When she looked up and saw Shanaya and Logan, she smiled apologetically, “We finally got that lead we were looking for,” she said.

* * *

Maya's tears had been cleaned and dried long ago, but wavy strands of her cocoa brown hair stuck to her round face. A pastel tissue box had been presented to her along with a bottle of water, but she had touched neither.

Shanaya and Beatrix sat side by side at the wooden table with Logan standing behind them. They agreed that Logan's youth would probably make the teen feel more at ease. However, Logan was now the one feeling less at ease.

“Your parents are on their way,” offered Beatrix, “But we just want to ask you some questions. Again, you're not in trouble!”

Despite that rushed add-in, the girl said, “I didn't do it on purpose. I don't even know what happened.”

“I know, Maya, but we just want you to tell us as much as you remember,” said Beatrix.

But the girl's lips made no motion.

“I'm sure you've heard of the recent lycan attacks.”

The table turned frigid upon Shanaya’s blunt statement.

The woman casually brushed away the bangs from her undercut as Maya seemed to quake in fear. Logan barely held back a frown before he straightened himself out. Beatrix only stared at Shanaya with a straight face, trying to give a silent message to watch her words.

“We know better to assume lycans are attacking people without reason,” Shanaya continued, “Anyone can tell that what's happening isn't natural.”

Maya sighed and began playing with the hem of her tear-stained sleeve, “I was just walking home from the park. I was hanging out with some friends there.”

“Alamar Park?” asked Beatrix.

“Yeah,” Maya gave a nod, “Then when I was walking down my street, I saw this guy walking towards me—not like he was going for me but like he was walking the opposite way, y’know?”

A quiet “Mm-hm,” from the trio before her filled in an awkward pause.

Maya fiddled with her sleeves some more as she thought of what to say, “Anyway, I _think_ it was a man. It was getting dark outside and I wasn't paying much attention to him—um, them.”

“It was a male,” Beatrix briefly added with a dismissive shrug.

“So nothing stuck out to you about him?” questioned Shanaya.

“No! I didn't even transform on purpose. I just--” Maya's protest gave way to a disgusted shiver, “I just started to, like, feel really weird...and sick.”

“Sick how?” asked Beatrix, leaning in.

“Like…” Maya pursed her lips, “I dunno, like... I was really hot. It was like I was on fire!” Maya's eyes met with the trio in front of her for the first time, “My vision got blurry and my heart was pounding. Everything went by so fast after that, and the next thing I remember was...her arresting me.”

Maya meekly gestured to Beatrix, who said, “You're not arrested.”

There was a knocking on the door behind the adults.

“That must be your parents,” said Beatrix with a reliable smile.

* * *

Python’s fingers pressed softly into the crystal ball as it displayed the clumsy image of Wesley.

“Wesley... Carmen? No, Carter?” Python's brows knit together as he tried to focus, “Twenty-ish? Come on, straighten up. I need to know if the Coil worked.”

“Since when has it not worked?” called Viper from across the room, “Unless you just don't trust Nerodia,” he wrapped an arm around the man in question, “Geez, give the kid a break, will ya? I know he's an easy target, but he's still part of N.A.G.A.”

An annoyed glare flickered over Python's glasses, “Any member of N.A.G.A. knows not to make assumptions.”

Nerodia had remained unresponsive during the exchange. He allowed his shorter elder to tug him down to his level for his jest, no matter how uncomfortable or demeaning it was. Though, a notable sense of relief was visible in his features when Viper released him.

“Dammit!” Python's voice came in a hiss as he flopped his open palms on to the table.

He turned around to his younger colleagues, “He's still alive. The Coil isn't even on him.”

As his earth brown eyes met the taller of the two, Nerodia gave a slight jolt, “I planted it on him in Chicago,” he defended, “He was at a fast food restaurant, so I snuck it onto his--”

“I hope you're telling the truth, Nerodia,” commented Python, “Because once a Coil is given a target, it won't rest until it's found them,” he leered over his glasses again, “Unless, you just didn't have the balls to plant the Coil in the first place.”

Python's slit, reptilian eyes sent a chill down Nerodia’s spine, but he held firm, “Something must have gone wrong after I planted the Coil.”

Python leaned back in his chair, effectively easing his disposition, “Regardless of your mistakes, we still have a fae to snuff out,” he said, “And this time, we're not going to be wasting any more weapons.”

Viper smirked and sat up to straighten his green-scaled crop jacket.

“Nerodia, take him out.”

Viper was immediately halted by his comrade's demand and briefly shot a bewildered glare at Nerodia, “What the hell, Python? You're seriously sending out this garden snake to off somebody?!”

“ _You_ don't need the experience, Viper,” dryly remarked the bespectacled man, “And N.A.G.A. wouldn't be on the suspect list if we send him out there.”

Viper fell back into the couch with his arms crossed, “You better not pussy out on us, this time.”

Nerodia stared at the floor.

* * *

Sterling prodded his teeth with a toothpick, “Shee? Now das a real ‘illy chees’eak sa’wich,” he said through clenched teeth.

“What?” asked Isaac.

Sterling put down his toothpick and said, “I said, “Now that's a real Philly cheese steak sandwich.” No one makes it better than Philadelphia, itself!” he then regarded Nikau, “How's that vegetarian version, big guy?”

Nikau gave a satisfied “okay” hand gesture, “A, plus, brotha.”

“I gotta hand it to you, Sterling,” said Wesley as he used the last bit of his sandwich to point at the male, “I didn't even like Philly cheese steak before this, but now you got me turned out!”

Sterling reclined with his arms crossed behind his head, “All in a day's work,” he said.

He felt his pride boosted to some degree now that they were in his hometown. When the crew discussed training again, they were equally against returning to Chicago. With Sterling being the only one left living in a mythical neighborhood, he was immediately picked by Wesley.

Wesley’s cellphone buzzed in his jean pocket. As soon as he wiped his hands clean with a napkin and swiped his thumb across the green icon, he regretted it.

“ _Of course_ ,” he thought, “ _Who else would be calling me but her?_ ”

Felicia’s worried nagging leaked through the phone receiver. Although exact words couldn’t be distinguished above the sound of surrounding customers and evening crickets, her voice was still audible to the males around the table.

“Yeah...yeah...uh-huh…” Wesley sat up with his hand over the speaker, “I gotta take this,” he murmured to his friends, who all gave their quiet confirmations and head nods.

“Yeah, I’m just moving somewhere quiet so I can hear you,” he said as he advanced towards a peaceful grove of trees, “Oh, another lycan attack? Wow...uh-huh...yeah...I’ll be careful…”

* * *

Nerodia sat in wait, his sea green attire contrasting with the plants around him. Times like these made him envy his comrades’ camouflage abilities, but he had never intended to hide to too long in the first place.

The man chatting on his cellphone was a good distance away from the lake, but it wasn’t like Nerodia needed to summon an entire wave. He just needed enough to wrap around the oblivious man’s ankle and pull him under. People would rule it as a drowning. Even if they _did_ find traces of fae mana in the water, Nerodia would be safe in his base before a single fae was questioned.

A thin rivulet snaked its way through the grass blades to carry out its deed, but a soft splash grasped the attention of the chatting man, and he turned around. He scouted the area around him, but he kept his field of vision too high to notice the line of moisture in the grass.

“Yeah, I’m here,” he replied into the phone, “Just thought I heard something.”

Nerodia froze up, his jaw taut. The man was getting farther away now, suspicious, Nerodia assumed. It was going to take even more energy to extend his rivulet quietly. He had already gone so slow and still made a clumsy splash. If he could just get at least a meter closer to him…

The robins carefully poised in the tree branches above abruptly flew away in a frenzy at the sight of the large male’s movements.

Immediately, he stopped, catching the eyes of his target, who had pivoted at the sound.

“ _Shit_ ,” thought Nerodia.

He watched as the man gave a single statement into his phone while keeping his eyes locked on him. Then he watched as he approached.

Nerodia’s mind scrambled. Could he outrun or even outfly the man? Could he summon a portal while fleeing and make sure to close it before the man could get through? Could he even escape without attracting attention? Should he just try to kill him now?

“Hey, have we met before?”

Nerodia’s teal eyes blinked, but he tried to hide the surprise in them. He had long since stood up, preparing to either fight or fly, but even looking down at Wesley, he felt small.

“Nah, there’s no way,” Wesley then said with a casual wave, “The guy I’m thinking of was all the way in Chicago.”

Nerodia saw this opportunity and thought to feign ignorance, but before his could speak, the shorter male said, “But dang, do you look like him!”

It was more than just amazement. Nerodia could see suspicion behind Wesley’s grin. He was a clever actor. The progressing timer on his phone showed that whoever was on the line was a witness in this empty forest. The man was just clever, in general.

“Di-Did you say Chicago?” croaked Nerodia, “My brother’s going to college there. Same twisties?” he asked, pointing to himself.

Wesley nodded, “Yeah, I mean, I only caught a glimpse of him, but…” he trailed off, trying to summon the memory while looking at the male before him. Was he wearing the same sea green tank top as this guy? Was he as tall as this man, or did the distance between them warp his perception?

“Well, his name is Clyde,” said Nerodia as he took a step back, “If you see him again, be sure to say hi for me, okay?”

“Hey, I don’t even know your name!” humored Wesley.

Nerodia tried to take another step back, “It’s Giovanni.”

“Okay, Giovanni, before you go, lemme ask you one last question,” Wesley’s grin remained casual and friendly. It would have been normal and unassuming to others, but to Nerodia, it made his skin prickle.

“Sure,” he said.

“What were you doing a minute ago kneeling on the ground?” Wesley asked.

Despite his nerves, being a part of N.A.G.A. has trained Nerodia to be a quick liar, “I dropped my earring,” he said, poking one of the diamond studs on his ears.

“All the way out here?” continued Wesley, “Away from the people?”

“I’m more of a nature person,” said Nerodia, “Big crowds aren’t my thing.”

Still, Wesley seemed wary.

“ _I’m in too deep to try to sneak away. He’ll just keep looking over his shoulder for the next time I come_ ,” that’s when an idea hit Nerodia.

“You haven’t told me your name yet,” he said.

The shorter male looked like he wanted to say, “ _I thought you’d already know that._ ”

“It’s Wesley,” he said, regardless.

Nerdy nodded, “Nice to meet you, Wesley,” he said, “I know how we met was pretty shady just now, so I’ll just let you decide how the rest of this goes.”

It matched Wesley’s humorous tone, taking a dark situation and turning it into some self-aware joke. Even Wesley, himself, was now questioning whether or not his earlier suspicions were just caused by an awkward encounter.

“How about…” the shorter male started, “You hang out with my friends for a little bit? Get to know each other. Cool?”

Nerodia nodded, “Cool.


End file.
